Cervical canal catheter

Claim 1

A cervical canal catheter comprising: a catheter main tube made of a soft rubber or resin and defining a main cavity therein, said main cavity having an open end at or in contiguity to the tip of said main tube, said tip being essentially perpendicular to a central axis of said main tube; a balloon assembly, surrounding the outer periphery of the tip, having two expandable lobes of about equal size, a narrow part being present between said two lobes, and being provided around said catheter main tube, said narrow part being adapted for receiving a strangulation ring formed by a ligature, said balloon assembly being of a size and shape adapted for the intimate adhering of said lobes to a cervical canal subjected to plication and narrowing by surgical ligature when said lobes are expanded, thereby fixing said catheter in the cervical canal; means defining a liquid-medicine injecting hole in the narrow part; means defining a balloon injection-hole in a part of said catheter main tube surrounded by said balloon assembly for delivering a fluid under pressure into each said lobe to cause said expansion thereof; a balloon-injection passage for delivering said fluid to said means defining a balloon-injection hole; a liquid-medicine injecting passage for delivering a liquid medicine to said liquid-medicine injecting hole, an end portion of said liquid medicine injecting passage at said liquid medicine injecting hole extending outside of said balloon assembly; said balloon injection-passage and said liquid-medicine-injecting passage each having for a majority of the lengths thereof, a side thereof defined by a wall of said catheter main tube, and, at the end of said catheter main tube, branching off from said catheter main tube.

Claim 3

A method of obtaining access to the uterus of a female, comprising the steps of: selecting a cervical canal catheter including: a catheter main tube made of a soft rubber or resin and defining a main cavity therein, said main cavity having an open end at or in contiguity to the tip of said main tube, said tip being essentially perpendicular to a central axis of said main tube; a balloon assembly, surrounding the outer periphery of the tip, having two expandable lobes of about equal size, a narrow part being present between said two lobes, and being provided around said catheter main tube, said narrow part being adapted for receiving a strangulation ring formed by a ligature, said balloon assembly being of a size and shape adapted for the intimate adhering of said lobes to a cervical canal subjected to plication and narrowing by surgical ligature when said lobes are expanded, thereby fixing said catheter in the cervical canal; means defining a liquid-medicine injecting hole in the narrow part; means defining a balloon injection-hole in a part of said catheter main tube surrounded by said balloon assembly for delivering a fluid under pressure into said each lobe to cause said expansion thereof; a balloon-injection passage for delivering said fluid to said means defining a balloon-injection hole; a liquid-medicine injecting passage for delivering a liquid medicine to said liquid-medicine injecting hole; said balloon injection-passage and said liquid-medicine-injecting passage each having for a majority of the lengths thereof, a side thereof defined by a wall of said catheter main tube, and, at the end of said catheter main tube, branching off from said catheter main tube; inserting said tip of said catheter into the uterus of said female through said female's cervical canal, with said balloon assembly unexpanded; securing said narrow part of said catheter to said cervical canal by means of a strangulation ring of ligature thread extending about said narrow part and through walls of said cervical canal; and expanding said balloon assembly.

Claim 4

A method of obtaining access to the uterus of a female, comprising the steps of: selecting a cervical canal catheter including: a catheter main tube made of a soft rubber or resin and defining a main cavity therein, said main cavity having an open end at or in contiguity to the tip of said main tube, said tip being essentially perpendicular to a central axis of said main tube; a balloon assembly, surrounding the outer periphery of the tip, having two expandable lobes of about equal size, a narrow part being present between said two lobes, and being provided around said catheter main tube, said narrow part being adapted for receiving a strangulation ring formed by a ligature, said balloon assembly being of a size and shape adapted for the intimate adhering of said lobes to a cervical canal subjected to plication and narrowing by surgical ligature when said lobes are expanded, thereby fixing said catheter in the cervical canal; means defining a liquid-medicine injecting hole in the narrow part; means defining a balloon injection-hole in a part of said catheter main tube surrounded by said balloon assembly for delivering a fluid under pressure into said each lobe to cause said expansion thereof; a balloon-injection passage for delivering said fluid to said means defining a balloon-injection hole; a liquid-medicine injecting passage for delivering a liquid medicine to said liquid-medicine injecting hole; said balloon injection-passage and said liquid-medicine-injecting passage each having for a majority of the lengths thereof, a side thereof defined by a wall of said catheter main tube, and, at the end of said catheter main tube, branching off from said catheter main tube; inserting said tip of said catheter into the uterus of said female through said female's cervical canal, with said balloon assembly unexpanded; securing said narrow part of said catheter to said cervical canal by means of a strangulation ring of ligature thread extending about said narrow part and through walls of said cervical canal; and expanding said balloon assembly.

Claim 6

A method according to 2, wherein said each lobe of said balloon assembly comprises two independently pressurizable balloons, said means defining a balloon-injection hole comprises two balloon injection holes for independently providing a fluid under pressure to each of said balloons, said balloon injection passage comprises two independent sub-passages for independently providing a fluid under pressure to said balloon injection holes, each of said sub-passages being equipped with a check valve and a pilot balloon, and wherein the end of the catheter main tube and the branched end of the liquid-medicine-injecting passage are individually equipped with a cap.

Claim 7

A method according to 2, wherein said each lobe of said balloon assembly comprises two independently pressurizable balloons, said means defining a balloon-injection hole comprises two balloon injection holes for independently providing a fluid under pressure to each of said balloons, said balloon injection passage comprises two independent sub-passages for independently providing a fluid under pressure to said balloon injection holes, each of said sub-passages being equipped with a check valve and a pilot balloon, and wherein the end of the catheter main tube and the branched end of the liquid-medicine-injecting passage are individually equipped with a cap.